HLS 15RS-3547 ENGROSSED
2015 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 178
BY REPRESENTATIVE JAMES
HEALTH: Expresses the intention and commitment of the legislature to renew the state's
focus on implementation of the State Alzheimer's Plan recommended by the
Louisiana Alzheimer's Disease Task Force
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To express the intention and commitment of the Legislature of Louisiana to renew the state's
3 focus on implementation of the State Alzheimer's Plan recommended by the
4 Louisiana Alzheimer's Disease Task Force, in partnership with the Department of
5 Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
6 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is a fatal, degenerative disease of the brain that
7impairs cognitive function, memory, and behavior; and
8 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is not a normal part of the aging process; and
9 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United
10States and the fifth leading cause of death for those over sixty-five years of age; and
11 WHEREAS, more than five million people nationwide have Alzheimer's disease,
12including approximately eighty-two thousand people in Louisiana; and
13 WHEREAS, nearly one in every three seniors dies each year with Alzheimer's
14disease; and
15 WHEREAS, in 2012, one thousand five hundred five deaths resulted from
16Alzheimer's disease in Louisiana; and
17 WHEREAS, the total cost of care nationally for individuals with Alzheimer's disease
18is expected to soar from two hundred twenty-six billion dollars in 2015 to one trillion one
19hundred billion dollars in the year 2050; and
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HCR NO. 178
1 WHEREAS, nationally, the average per person Medicaid spending for seniors with
2Alzheimer's and other dementias is nineteen times higher than average per person Medicaid
3spending for all other seniors; and
4 WHEREAS, in 2014, two hundred thirty thousand family caregivers in Louisiana
5provided two hundred sixty-two million hours of unpaid Alzheimer's disease care, valued
6at three billion two hundred million dollars; and
7 WHEREAS, nearly eighty percent of Louisiana seniors who have reported
8experiencing confusion or memory loss that is happening more often or getting worse have
9not talked with a healthcare professional about it; and
10 WHEREAS, Alzheimer's disease takes a tremendous emotional toll on all whose
11lives it touches, including family members, friends, and especially the caregivers of those
12living with Alzheimer's disease; and
13 WHEREAS, more than sixty percent of Alzheimer's disease and dementia caregivers
14are women; and
15 WHEREAS, in 2008, the Louisiana Alzheimer's Disease Task Force was established
16by the Louisiana Legislature; and
17 WHEREAS, the task force was composed of members from relevant state agencies
18as well as representatives from interested community and industry partners; and
19 WHEREAS, the task force, in accordance with its legislative charge, assessed the
20current and future impact of Alzheimer's disease on the people of Louisiana, examined the
21existing industries, services, and resources addressing the needs of persons with Alzheimer's
22disease, their families, and caregivers, and held public meetings and utilized technological
23means to gather feedback from persons and families affected by Alzheimer's disease; and
24 WHEREAS, the task force submitted a final report of findings and recommendations
25to the legislature and the governor in the form of a State Alzheimer's Plan in October of
262009; and
27 WHEREAS, recommendations from the final report of the Louisiana Alzheimer's
28Disease Task Force covered several areas, including infrastructure, data collection, education
29and training, early detection and diagnosis, safety, services and facilities, and healthcare
30coverage; and
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HCR NO. 178
1 WHEREAS, implementation of the State Alzheimer's Plan will move Louisiana
2closer to becoming a dementia-capable state, better suited to handle the fiscal, psychological,
3and social demands that Alzheimer's disease places on Louisiana families.
4 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
5express the intention and commitment of the legislature to renew the state's focus on
6implementation of the State Alzheimer's Plan recommended by the Louisiana Alzheimer's
7Disease Task Force, in partnership with the Department of Health and Hospitals and the
8Louisiana chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
10to the Louisiana chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 178 Engrossed 2015 Regular Session James
Expresses the intention and commitment of the legislature to renew the state's focus on
implementation of the State Alzheimer's Plan recommended by the La. Alzheimer's Disease
Task Force, in partnership with the Dept. of Health and Hospitals and the La. chapter of the
Alzheimer's Association.
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